I have a theory as to one reason (of many) the England National Team tends to underperform in major tournaments: the players all play in the same league. Every England international plays in the Premier League. One might argue this breeds familiarity and is therefore good for the national team, but I think it leads to a lack of stylistic variety in the team and makes the payer pool stagnant. It's basically like inbreeding, is what I'm saying.
Chelsea have confirmed that forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been contacted by the Football Association after an adverse finding following a routine anti-doping test.
The Premier League club issued a brief statement on Tuesday confirming an investigation into the Ukraine international after the adverse result from a urine sample.
Mudryk doping test controversy
MANCHESTER, England, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Manchester United poured on the misery for flagging Premier League champions Manchester City as late goals by Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo snatched an unlikely 2-1 away victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim's side were heading for a third consecutive league defeat as they trailed to Josko Gvardiol's header.
Watch: Gvardiol goal vs. Manchester United
THE ETIHAD ERUPTS!
Aston Villa will be disappointed with their 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, however an unbelievable Emiliano Martínez save was one big highlight they can smile about.
In the 60th minute with the score tied at 0-0 Martínez seemingly broke the laws of physics with an unreal save. Nottingham Forest’s Nicolás Domínguez thought for certain he’d scored the opening goal with a close-range header but was denied by the paw of Martínez.
Emi Martínez save vs Forest
Welcome to this week’s edition of USMNT Abroad, where we bring you the latest updates on American soccer players making waves across Europe.
From standout performances to key transfers, rumors and injury reports, The18 has got you covered with all the action involving U.S. men’s national team players in Europe’s top leagues.
C’mon, you yanks!
USMNT Abroad this weekend: The latest on American players in Europe
Christian Pulisic (AC Milan)
MANCHESTER — Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola blames the congested fixture schedule for the injuries that have ravaged his struggling team this season, saying he needs a squad of 45 or 50 players to weather the storm.
Saying City are in survival mode, Guardiola added he could have just three defenders available when they host Manchester United in Sunday's derby at Etihad Stadium, another blow to their dwindling hopes of retaining their Premier League title.
They are fourth in the table and have just one victory to show for their last 10 games across all competitions.
A third-tier Croatian club have ruffled the feathers of Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion due to having a VERY similar looking crest. NK Jadran Galeb compete in Croatia and adopted a familiar look for the club’s logo.
The story gets funnier. Allegedly a member of the Croatian club visited the Brighton offices in England and informed them of the similarity between the clubs. The person in question then metaphorically swung for the fences and asked if Brighton would donate to NK Jadran Galeb in the form of equipment.
Weston McKennie is on Cloud 9 after scoring a fabulous scissor kick goal against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. His biggest haters, Leeds United fans, appear to be in shambles on social media.
After Wednesday's game McKennie did an interview with CBS and was asked by Micah Richards about his loan spell with Leeds United.
PLZEN — Manchester United learned lessons from their bland first half at Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday and sped up the action in the second period, allowing them to get a 2-1 win, coach Ruben Amorim said.
Forward Rasmus Hojlund scored twice in the second half to allow United to come back from a goal down at six-times Czech champions Plzen for their third consecutive European win.
Manchester City are experiencing one of their worst runs of form in years with just a single win in their last nine games. Nothing seems to be going right, and footage of a Man City penalty practice reflects that perfectly.
During a livestream of City’s practice on Tuesday something unthinkable happened. Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland all missed penalty kicks in training. The worst part? There wasn’t even a goalkeeper in goal.
Man City penalty practice fail